Chicken farmers sued for not paying debts

Chicken farmers sued for not paying debts

Associated Press, Hanoi, Vietnam

Two chicken farmers in Vietnam have been sued for failing to pay their debts after a deadly bird flu outbreak forced them to destroy their poultry stocks, in the country's first reported lawsuit related to the disease.

Lu Kim Cuong, an animal feed seller, said Monday in a telephone interview that he filed a suit against farmers Phung Ngoc Phuong and Ho Huu Phuoc, after the men failed to pay a total of 259 million dong (US$16,000).

The three men failed to reach a settlement last week, said Nguyen Huu Tri, head of the Cho Gao District People's Court in Tien Giang province, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.

He said another out-of-court settlement session is planned and the case would be brought to a civil court if the three failed to reach a compromise. It was the first lawsuit stemming from bird flu reported by state-controlled media.

International agricultural and finance officials have warned that the recent avian influenza outbreak across Asia could make small-time farmers destitute, after they were forced to slaughter their birds to control the disease. More than 38 millions were culled in Vietnam, where 12 people died after the virus jumped to humans.

Phuong said he had to kill his 17,000 chickens worth 900 million dong ($57,000) in January. He said he has other debts totaling nearly 300 million dong ($19,000) and has threatened to kill himself at the court hearing if the ruling is in Cuong's favor.

"I've lost everything," said Phuong, 55. "Now I have to work for other people to make our daily ends meet."

Phuoc, the other farmer, was not immediately available for comment.